Early New York City 78
1948
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
contact sheet
Dimensions
overall: 25.5 x 20.2 cm (10 1/16 x 7 15/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Robert Frank Collection, Gift of Robert Frank
Accession Number
1990.28.1225
Art Historical Context
"Early New York City " is a captivating contact sheet from 1948 by Robert Frank the renowned Swiss-born photographer who would later redefine American documentary photography with his seminal book *The Americans*.ured when Frank was just 24 newly arrived in New York City, work offers a raw glimpse into the bustling post-World War II urban landscape. The title suggests it's part of a numbered series documenting everyday life in the metropolis, showcasing his early eye for candid street scenes. Printed as a contact sheet—a direct positive print made by exposing photographic paper while in conta...
About the Artist
Robert Frank
Robert Frank (1924-2019) was a Swiss-American photographer and documentary filmmaker whose revolutionary approach to documentary photography fundamentally transformed the medium and influenced generations of artists. Born in Zurich, Switzerland, on November 9, 1924, to a middle-class Jewish family, Frank began his photographic apprenticeship in 1941, working with commercial photographers before im...